The road is far away, and the boat is not floating on the river all day long. It has to dock every night.
Occasionally when they encounter a ferry or a place where they can dock, the boatman will often ask them for their ideas and make a temporary stop, and Song You will lead his horse off the boat to relieve his thirst. There are often women selling some food at the ferries in various places. If you meet Song You who likes it, you will buy some to add some flavor to your mouth.
What the boatman said is true. The meals on this ship are fine if you only eat one or two meals. After eating for two more days, your mouth will taste a little bland and fishy. Fortunately, Song You also brought some dry food.
Unknowingly, we have been sailing for six days.
As we approach Long County, the scenery on both sides changes.
There is not narrow flat land on both sides of the river, at least the fields are flat, and they are full of rapeseed flowers. They bloom in early spring and look golden, and the wind also carries the sweet fragrance of rapeseed flowers.
And above this land, there are countless strange and flat hills. Different from ordinary mountains, it is steep and small, like bamboo shoots. It is difficult for people to go up, and there is not much value in going up. There are countless such hills blocking the end of the sight. From a distance, they overlap one another, and the mountains are like forests. The sight is blocked before long.
I'm afraid some people believe that this mountain is a country of monsters.
"We've reached the border of Fangjun."
The boatman said to him while paddling the boat: "The mountains in Liaojun are like this. They are piled up. Most of them are impossible to climb up. There is no land on them. People can only walk through the middle of the mountains."
"very nice."
"They all say it looks good."
"Is there anyone who can climb up?"
"Yes!"
The boatman's face was criss-crossed with grooves, but he had a smile. He liked to talk to this gentleman: "When you go to Wangcheng, Anqing County is the best place to see it. When you get there, ask someone about it, and you will naturally know what to do. If you ask the little old man, How do you know, haha, I don’t know how many high-ranking officials, great poets, and great talents come here every year to see the landscape, and almost all of them go to Anqing."
"Thank you, husband."
Song You just stood at the bow of the boat and looked at the side of the boat.
The sun gradually sank to the west, and before it sank into the horizon, it sank into the mountains and forests like bamboo shoots.
The last light slanted down from the top of the jagged and high-rise mountain forest. It was pale gold and the shape of the light could be clearly seen. Half of the river was a reflection of the mountains and light. People wearing coir raincoats and bamboo hats The old man pushed the boat forward, and the man in Taoist robes stood at the bow. The small boat traveled alone across the entire river.
"We should be able to get there tonight."
"good."
The boatman kept on holding on and even sang loudly.
Song You felt extremely beautiful for a moment and was in a good mood.
"My father-in-law."
"Listening!"
"Is it time to prepare dinner?"
"The guest officer is right, let's find a place to park."
"I still have a piece of bacon in my bag. I didn't finish it a year ago and it was very heavy when I took it with me on the road. So I asked my husband to cook it and let us all try it together."
"okay!"
So among the thousands of mountains, above the Liujiang River, under the dusk sky, there is another wisp of smoke.
About two or three quarters of an hour later.
The scholar's hair had not been combed for several days and was already a little greasy, but he was still full of energy and used chopsticks to pick up a piece of bacon from the bowl.
The bacon is two fat and two thin, with three stripes and streaks. When you pick it up and look at it with the help of an oil lamp, you will see that the fat part is transparent and golden, crystal clear, and shines brightly on the chopsticks. When I put it into my mouth while it was hot, I couldn't taste any greasiness at all. It was just full of bacon aroma, with the fragrance of pine and cypress branches, neither salty nor bland.
"This bacon is so good! It's amazing!"
The scholar was immediately amazed and asked Song You, "Did you do it yourself, sir?"
"A gift from someone else."
"After all, I am lucky to have you, sir. Thank you sir." The scholar smiled and handed over to Song You. He kept using his chopsticks and said as he ate, "I also like to eat Yizhou bacon, especially this one made of pine and cypress. The smoked branches are not as good as anywhere else."
"I suddenly remembered something."
"Oh? What's the matter, sir?"
"There is an old Mr. Zhang who lectures at Yunshuo Sheng in the North Wazi of Yidu. The old man is well-informed and proficient in this art. He knows the mysterious and interesting things in various places. I will go to Yidu to visit friends in the future. But if you go to Beiwazi to look for Mr. Zhang, if you don't be stingy with some tea money and follow the etiquette, you will definitely not be disappointed."
"!"
The scholar could not have imagined that what he suddenly said was this. After hearing this, he immediately put away his playful smile, put down his chopsticks, and gave him a solemn salute.
It's just a miscellaneous book, how many people will really take it seriously? If you still want to leave a lasting legacy, it would be good if you don’t sneer and sneer! But with just this sudden warning, he already felt the importance from this gentleman whom he met unexpectedly, and for a moment he felt like a close friend.
"Sir, it's hard for a young student to repay you for being like this."
"You just need to put all your effort into compiling a book. If the world doesn't understand it, maybe future generations will value it."
"nature!"
Song You stopped talking and only ate meat and some water and wine.
The wine was made by this scholar, and the three members of the family also brought some preserved fruits. It didn’t matter which one was expensive or which one was cheap, they were all partners.
It's best this way, not owing each other anything.
Gradually it was night.
There is a moon tonight, but the boatman refuses to dock. He only relies on the moonlight and experience to continue sailing, hoping to deliver them all so that they can return tomorrow.
Soon I heard the boatman shout:
"Anqing has arrived."
The ship gradually approached the shore and made a sound.
Except for Song You, everyone on the boat quickly got up.
The scholar took his clothes box and said goodbye to Song You together with the male head of the family of three.
"I was lucky enough to travel with you, so let's say goodbye."
"I have benefited a lot from talking with you on the boat these days. Even if you are not a Taoist master, you are still a hermit. I just regret that this journey is short and I can't stay with you for a few more days." The scholar was very regretful as he carried his clothes box. He looked at Song You and said, "But things are often like this in the world. We are together and separated by fate, so I said goodbye to my husband. If my husband comes to Anqing for fun in the future, he must come to see me."
"The road is slippery at night, so please walk slowly."
Song You also stood at the bow of the boat and held hands with them, watching them disembark and leave.
The boatman punted the boat again, and the boat left the shore again.
At this time, I heard the scholar's voice again:
"Wait!"
I saw him standing on the stone steps of the ferry. He handed over to Song You again and said: "I thought before that people from rivers and lakes met by chance, why would they ask where they were from? I didn't ask where Mr. Xiang was originally practicing. But after getting along with him for a few days, I became more and more aware that Mr. He understands my heart very well, and I dare to ask where my husband lives. If I am destined to go to Yizhou again in the future, I should pay him a visit."
"Yin Yang Mountain, Fulong Temple."
"..."
The water was strong at night and the ship quickly moved away.
The boatman laughed and said, "This scholar is good in everything, but he is a little too noisy."
Song You smiled, but did not answer. He just asked:
"How long does it take to get to Lingbo County?"
"It's still quite far to Lingbo County, but there is a water monster causing trouble in that section of the waterway. The water monster is so big that ordinary ships can be overturned at once. Many people died in the past few years, but now no one dares to leave. Fortunately, Lingbo is the last section. Guests going to Lingbo will get off at the nearest ancient ferry, which takes about an hour." The boatman paused, "It's just that passengers must be careful. They can go ashore from the ancient ferry and go to Lingbo County. There are many bandits on that road. Although I have never heard of anyone being killed, people are often robbed. If ordinary guests take this road, I would advise them to give some money and say something nice to the thieves to avoid suffering. The pain of flesh and blood, if you meet someone who is discerning, you may be able to keep a portion."
"Thanks for the advice."
"It's different for guest officers. I heard someone say that in addition to robbing messengers and scholars rushing to take exams, there are several other robbing bandits: they don't rob Taoist teachers, they don't rob Buddhist masters, and they don't rob young people who walk alone. Woman, don’t rob a lost naughty boy. Hehe, I don’t know how many bandits are particular.”
"Is it okay for my husband to pick up people on his way back?"
"It's not as good as over there."
"How many days does it take to return?"
"Ten days, eleven days." The boatman said with a smile, "I'm lucky this time. I met someone with a family, and I met you, the guest officer. Normally, I can't take so many people on one trip."
"It's also hard work."
Calculating this way, this old man can earn at least more than a thousand dollars from a trip back and forth. If you're lucky, it might be more than 2,000, but if you're not lucky, it might be a few hundred more. I definitely won’t be able to make two trips a month, but I won’t be able to make just one trip. The income is still pretty good. However, the waterway is very long, and it is hard work to punt and cook along the way.
"Earn your hard-earned money!"
The boatman's voice came mixed with the sound of splashing water.
Song You's eyes couldn't help but light up. For a moment, he seemed to be infected by the boatman's down-to-earth and contented attitude. He was also surprised that such a sentence could be said by an ordinary boatman.
But I quickly realized that this was actually arrogant, rude and inappropriate.
All in all, getting a kind word is like getting a cool breeze in the dog days, drinking a cup of hot tea in the summer, and like getting good luck when going out, which is surprising and makes people feel happy.
My heart softened, and the moonlight became much softer.
About an hour later——
Song You put the quilt bag on the horseback and saw the calico cat jumping lightly on the bow of the boat, then jumped onto the shore, and he also stepped out.
Then turn around and look at the horse behind you.
"Slow down, don't rush."
I saw only ripples in the water, the boats were moving slowly, and the sound of splashing water filled my ears.
Under the moonlight, the horse carefully and nervously walked to the bow of the boat. It was about to jump to the shore, but after listening to his words, it actually retracted its hooves and moved to find a more secure position before landing safely.
The boatman watched from the bow, smiling and saying nothing.
I have lived a long time and have seen a lot. In fact, some truths can be understood naturally without the need to learn them from books. He had long seen that this guest officer was extraordinary, he was just a boatman, so why should he ask more questions?
"Sir, take a slow walk at night."
"My husband, please slow down."
With a push of the oars, the boat left the shore again.
After the boat had gone far, Song You looked back.
I saw the river swaying under the moonlight, with sparkling waves and splashing water on the shore. The cold air rises from the river, reflecting the bright moon, and is coated with a layer of haze by the moonlight, like broken stars, the river shines, and the fairyland is nothing more than that.
Looking down again, Sanhua Empress arrived at a new place and started running around again, sniffing here and there, as if she didn't hear what he said at all.
"gone."
"OK."
The Taoist was still in front, the horse behind, and the calico cat walked forward, backward, left, and right. It was not until the Taoist asked her to help explore the way that she honestly walked in front.
I'm going to find a place to sleep tonight.
In the second year of Mingde's reign, in the middle of the first lunar month, I completed the tour of Liujiang River.
